BEST WAY TO TOUR COLCA CANYON FROM AREQUIPA

1. BEST WAY TO TOUR COLCA CANYON FROM AREQUIPA Many people wonder what is the best way to tour Colca Canyon from Arequipa without wasting time and making the most of their visit to this region. After all, it is not Peru’s easiest to reach region and definitely not its most popular, so we will help you make the most of your stay here with the following article. First of all, the main starting point for any Colca Canyon tour is of course the city of Arequipa. You can get to this city by bus or plane from any other major city in Peru. Once in Arequipa, you can stay in any of the several good quality hotels in town. There is no shortage of tour agencies offering one or two-day Colca Canyon tours from Arequipa. Most budget travelers take the one-day trip that leaves very early (around 4 AM) from their hotel and visits the main sights of the Colca Canyon region such as Chivay, Yanque (hot springs) and of course the Mirador de la Cruz del Condor where you can see flying condors soaring the surroundings. We do not recommend the day trip because it is very exhausting and while it does let you see the main highlights of this region, it is more like a been there, done that type of experience, but if you are short of time (and maybe money) this may be the trip for you. Some people prefer not to rush or start so early, so they opt for a 2-day tour of the area with overnight stay in the town of Chivay (or around nearby Yanque) in order to break the long drive and avoiding the need of starting so early. The two day trip allows for a regular starting time on day 1 and more time to enjoy the hot springs. On the second day, the already mentioned viewpoint will be reached to see the soaring condors and then the drive back to Arequipa. We of course recommend the two-day trip instead of the day trip because it does allow to enjoy this region more without such early times and exhausting days. For a select group of people (most often very experienced travelers) looking to explore the wider Colca region in depth, there are more options that allow them to get under the skin of the country, interact with local people, get to know traditional lifestyle and food. For example, they can combine a classic Colca Canyon tour from Arequipa but add more days to their adventure and get to know the Valley of the Volcanoes geothermal park which is adjacent to the Colca Canyon but more difficult to reach. On the way, one can appreciate beautiful Andean landscapes and wildlife as well as volcanoes, hot springs, valleys, massive plateaus and more. We recommend this five-day trip that combines both the Colca Canyon and Valley of the Volcanoes starting and ending in Arequipa. It gives more opportunities to do physical activity (treks), see lots of wildlife and get to know the real Peru. In short, the most common trips are the one and two day tours of Colca Canyon from Arequipa which are offered by lots of companies in town. However, if you want to see and experience much more than the Colca Canyon, you can also consider a longer trip such as this combined

2. “4-day Colca Canyon and Valley of the Volcanoes tour from Arequipa.” offered by this Peruvian tour company based in Arequipa.